FAU vs PBA (SOS plz help. kinda urgent)

[unpredictability]

I am a senior in high school in South Florida. I am planning on taking the 2 years of prerequisites + 4 years of pharmacy school route to obtain a pharmD and become a pharmacist. I am having a hard time deciding which school I should attend to get my 2 years of prerequisites done at. The two schools I am deciding between are FAU and PBA.

With FAU, I would be majoring in Biochemistry and get prerequisites for pharmacy school done within two years. After the two years, I am planning on applying to pharmacy schools, including that of PBA and UF. Pros of FAU would be that I am familiar and comfortable with the campus, I have always wanted to go there, and I feel more drawn to it. Cons would be that FAU doesn't really have a focus in pharmacy and the classes may be viewed as more lenient, so I am worried pharmacy schools will take that into account and not consider/accept me as a candidate.
With PBA, I would be majoring in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with a Pharmaceutical Concentration and get prereqs done for pharm school within two years. After the two years, I would apply to pharmacy schools, including the PBA COP. Pros of PBA include the fact that it has a focus in pharmacy and I know that I will be more than prepared for pharmacy school because of the amount of immense pressure I heard they put on their students. Another pro is that I will be guaranteed an interview to their pharmacy school and they show more favor to the students who attend PBA for undergrad (but I will also be applying to UF COP). Cons of PBA would be the fact that it is a Christian college and attending chapel is mandatory (I think its 12 hours of chapel per semester). I am not Christian and although I don't really mind attending chapel, it would be eating away from hours I could spend studying. I am also not drawn to the campus and feel as if I would be having a hard time enjoying/visioning myself there. I do understand, my studies should be prioritized, but I also want to have a little bit of fun and pride in where I attend college (not saying I won't be proud of attending PBA, but I would rather FAU).​

So basically, I want to go to FAU but I don't know if that would be the most practical decision to make as compared to attending PBA. I am willing to overlook all the cons of PBA, if it is the best route for me to take to obtain a pharmD.

Any advice is welcome and very much appreciated. Please help as I would like to make my decision as soon as possible. Thank you all very much in advance!!!

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[PharmtoCS]

I would strongly discourage anyone from going straight from high school to a 0-6 program. The reason is that you absolutely need to work in a pharmacy before going to pharmacy school. Many people realize that pharmacy isn't for them after having worked in one due especially due to the hectic work environment, mean customers, etc. in busy retail pharmacies where the vast majority of the jobs are. The job market is saturated and getting worse each year as more new schools graduate their first class. Graduates are already clawing for hours; by 2025 there is expected to be a 20% unemployment rate.

There are other professions, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, the trades, etc. that offer brighter job prospects and a better work-life balance and do not require you to graduate with $200k+ in loans.

 

[unpredictability]

I would strongly discourage anyone from going straight from high school to a 0-6 program. The reason is that you absolutely need to work in a pharmacy before going to pharmacy school. Many people realize that pharmacy isn't for them after having worked in one due especially due to the hectic work environment, mean customers, etc. in busy retail pharmacies where the vast majority of the jobs are. The job market is saturated and getting worse each year as more new schools graduate their first class. Graduates are already clawing for hours; by 2025 there is expected to be a 20% unemployment rate.

There are other professions, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, the trades, etc. that offer brighter job prospects and a better work-life balance and do not require you to graduate with $200k+ in loans.

Sooo with that being said, do you recommend attending FAU as it gives more options in regards to majors and would allow me to test out more stuff?

 

[PharmtoCS]

Sooo with that being said, do you recommend attending FAU as it gives more options in regards to majors and would allow me to test out more stuff?

Sounds like that would be the best option. I would also take tuition into account. Since FAU is a public school, I would speculate that it would be cheaper to go there.

 

[unpredictability]

Sounds like that would be the best option. I would also take tuition into account. Since FAU is a public school, I would speculate that it would be cheaper to go there.

Tuition for either schools don't pose as a problem as I have received a scholarship from PBA (although my cost of attendance for FAU still ends up being slightly cheaper) and grant from FAU.
If I end up still wanting to pursue a PharmD after gaining experience in a pharmacy, would you say my chances of getting in a pharmacy school after two years of prerequisites from FAU are as good as if I completed two years of prereq at PBA?